Treatments improving for incontinence issues

Today I want to talk about some good news for men who suffer from an overactive bladder and the symptoms associated with it – sudden, frequent and involuntary urination. This is an unpleasant and common side effect following a radical prostatectomy, or surgery to remove prostate cancer.

The good news is that there is a new, U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved option that does not require surgery. Called percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, this new option is a type of treatment we refer to as neuromodulation. This procedure is less invasive than some of the other procedures currently out there.

The treatment works by turning on an electrical stimulation to control overactive bladder. Done in the office once a week, for 12 weeks, a patient receives 30 minutes of nerve stimulation. This helps control the posterior tibial nerve, which is located near the ankle. The posterior tibial nerve is derived from the nerves that control the bladder

For patients who did not respond to behavioral and drug therapy, this is a great option.

I must caution that this procedure might not work for everyone. If so, then a patient may require the more invasive – yet very effective – neuromodulation treatment, such as the InterStim treatment my colleague Dr. Christopher Smith routinely performs. As always, please let us know if we can address any specific topics of interest.